Abby’s Friendship Zucchini Gratin

A few months ago my husband was out of town and I was having a rough day. My thoughtful friend Abby asked me if she could drop dinner off for me, but I said no thanks, I was fine. I should have known she wouldn’t listen to me. A bit later I got a text from her saying she’d left dinner on my front porch. That’s what best friends do. They often know what you need even when you haven’t a clue what you need. 🙂 And it’s one of the reasons I love that girl. I was actually hungry and I scarfed the meal down in no time at all.

This zucchini side dish was part of that comforting meal. I love zucchini and though I generally grill or sauté it simply with onion, garlic and olive oil, this is a slightly more indulgent way to prepare it for yourself or guests. Abby’s recipe is perfect as is, but I made a few changes only because I didn’t have all ingredients on hand and I had oodles of mushrooms. Hers included yellow squash. If you’re a zucchini/squash fan, you’ll enjoy this. {Dear Abby, I love ya! ♥ Thank you!}

Abby’s Friendship Zucchini Gratin

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 onion, diced or sliced ( I used half a medium onion)

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 medium zucchini, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (we love creminis)

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup cream or half and half

1 cup panko crumbs or breadcrumbs

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 450°. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about a minute. Add zucchini, mushrooms, and shallot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add cream or half and half and cook for another 5 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup panko and half the parmesan . Mix until combined. Place in an 2 quart (square or oval) baking dish. Top with the rest of the panko and parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Oh Deborah, my apologies! I fixed that mistake in the ingredients list–I just dice half an onion (we like onion a lot so I use half a medium-size onion). I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and to let me know! 🙂 Hope you enjoy it! ~Danielle